It Started with a Hug
by shootlumos
Summary: The hug was the starting point of a beautiful friendship. They were close. They were best friends. But what happened when he yearned for something more and she was too dense to notice it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail does not belong to me.

A/N: Sorry for any grammatical error. English is not my first language.

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CHAPTER 1

It was the start of the school term.

Most of the students were early on the first day of school. And they sure were in such a high spirits. It was understandable since they were meeting their friends again after the long break. They were happily chatting with their friends, mostly updating each other on what they were doing during the holiday.

A male student with a mop of pink hair was seen walking pass the school gate with a bag pack slung across his back. He too couldn't wait to see his friends again after the break. During the school break, he and his father had gone travelling around the world so he couldn't hang out with his friends. Travelling to see the world sure was exhilarating experience but he missed his friends too. He was frantically looking around the school yard, hoping to see familiar faces, but none of his friends were there. Hoping to catch them up in the class, he walked towards the school building heading in the direction of the classroom.

"Oi, Natsu!"

Natsu Dragneel stopped on his track and turned around to see one of his best friends, waving at him with an excited expression. Natsu grinned and waved back at the black haired male. "Yo Gray," he greeted. "Nice to see you man," he said once Gray was near him.

"Nice to see you too Natsu," Gray replied as they gave each other a manly hug. "I see you've got even taller now."

Natsu just grinned at him. "And I see you're fully clothed for once," he said jokingly towards the raven haired man.

"Shut up," Gray said with a laugh and they proceeded to the class.

"So where are the others?" Natsu asked. He couldn't wait to see the rest of his friends, particularly the red haired one. He couldn't wait to see her.

"You mean Erza?" Gray asked knowingly with a mischievous face, laughing when he saw the blush and annoyance on Natsu's face. "Seriously flame-brain, just confess to her already," his best friend urged him with a chuckle.

"Shut it stripper," Natsu hissed with a scowl on his face.

Erza Scarlet, the unique girl who had a special place in his heart. They were childhood friends, much like Gray and him. In fact, he was neighbors with the sweet girl. They lived next to each other and his room was in fact next to hers. Most nights, they would open their window and talked to each other before they went to sleep. It was their thing.

"By the way, we are all in the same class this year," Gray kindly informed. "You, me, Lucy, Juvia, and Erza of course. I already promised Juvia to sit next to her so if you want to sit next to Erza, you better hurry and tells her before somebody else does," Gray said.

Natus didn't comment on that but he knew that Gray was right.

They were finally at the classroom. Thankfully, the class was not full yet and most of the seat was not taken. His eyes roamed around the room and he finally spotted the red head chatting with Lucy at the back of the room. Natsu involuntarily scowled. She was sitting next to Lucy, so he thought that he missed the chance to sit next to her already.

He and Gray approached them nonetheless.

"Hey ladies," Natsu greeted when he reached them. He saw Erza turned in his direction, and he could swear that his heart stopped beating when he saw the bright look on her face.

"Natsu," she uttered excitedly and her face light up even more when she smiled at him. She was more beautiful than the last time he saw her. "When did you reach home? I saw no lights coming from your house this morning."

"Late last night," he replied. "And dad went to work early this morning and I woke up late, no wonder you didn't notice anything."

Erza nodded at him. "Well, I'm glad that you're finally here. I miss you," she said and his heart soared at the thought that she missed him too. "And I can't wait to hear all the stories about your travel," she uttered excitedly.

"I'll tell you later," Natsu said. He couldn't wait to hang out with her later today.

"Natsu, how come you only greet Erza and not me? I'm sitting right here you know," Lucy exclaimed with a pout on her face.

Natsu laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "I'm sorry Lucy. Nice to see you," he said with a smile.

Lucy gave him an evil smirk. "Hmph, it is expected of course. You wouldn't notice anything when Erza is around," she said, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Erza glanced at the blonde haired girl with a confuse expression. "What are you talking about Lucy?" Erza asked with a matching tone. Seriously, everyone could guess that he had a thing for her but she was so dense in this department that she didn't even notice his feeling. Maybe it was because they were friends since kids, so she thought nothing of it when he treated her differently than other girl. Hell, he didn't even communicate much with other girls except for the one in his close knit group.

"It's nothing Erza. Lucy was just joking around," Natsu answered before Lucy make the situation worse. He gave a glare at Lucy, silently telling her to keep her mouth shut. The other girl only shrugged her shoulder and blew her tongue at him when Erza was not looking.

"So Lucy, are you sitting here with Erza?" Gray interjected. Natsu looked over at Gray and saw the raven haired man smirking at him. Natsu shot him a grateful smile. Trust Gray with his subtle way to alleviate an impending fight that was going to erupt from him and Lucy, and ask the question he was dying to know the answer to.

"Nope," Lucy denied.

Natsu was happy to hear that. He still had his chance to sit next to Erza this time.

"I'm sitting with Mira this year," she informed as she stood up from her seat. "Besides, I have a feeling that this seat is reserved for Natsu," she said cheekily with an evil laugh.

Natsu's face became red at the insinuation while Gray only sighed heavily at his friend's antic and Erza just looked between the three of them in confusion.

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.

Natsu waited patiently for Erza at the school gate as his eyes never wavered from her form as she was talking to Loke from different class. He didn't know that Erza knew the orange haired man. He wondered what had happen during his absence for Erza to converse happily with the resident playboy. Erza was well liked by other student but she rarely interacted with the opposite gender aside from him and Gray. Well, it was thanks to him that male student was afraid to approach her in the first place. They were best friends and in the same class as him since middle school. So they were always together wherever they went to.

Natsu being the protective and possessive man he was, often helped in creating distance between her and man who had an interest in her. He glared at any man who as much as looked at her twice and when some bloke was too dense to notice the murderous glare he sent them, he resorted to a verbal threats and told them to keep their distance away. Hell, some people even thought that he and Erza were dating, and that too helped in keeping unwanted attention away from Erza because everyone knew better than to mess with Natsu Dragneel's girl.

He was being selfish and he knew it but he couldn't help himself. He really did loved her.

He didn't know when exactly that he started to fall for Erza. But he knew that it could be track back to when they were still kids.

Perhaps it started with a hug.

The hug.

They were five when she moved next door. The house next to him was vacant for so long and when his mother said new tenant would be moving in soon, he was ecstatic. Especially when his mother said that the one moving in was a man with a young child. He couldn't wait to see the new neighbors because only then he would have someone to play with him. He thought the child was a male and he was disappointed when he realized it was a girl during the first time meeting.

It was still fresh on his mind. The memory on the first time he met Erza Scarlet when they both were five years old.

 _"_ _Natsu, meet Grandpa Rob and little Erza," his mother ushered him as he stood there gaping at the image of the cute little girl with bob cut scarlet hair and big brown eyes._

 _"She's a girl," he exclaimed looking at the shy girl who hide behind his grandpa's leg, clutching the material of his pants while she peered at him curiously behind it. He was disappointed to see that the child was a girl when he thought otherwise. Gone was his plan to play with his new neighbor for the day. He didn't like girls. Girls were always crying and they were annoying._

 _"Of course she's a girl," his father said, gently pushing him forward. "Go on, introduce yourself."_

 _Natsu frowned but complied with his father's wishes. "I'm Natsu Dragneel. Nice to meet you Grandpa Rob and Erza," he greeted bowing a little to the two guests._

 _Erza moved to stand beside his Grandpa and greeted back. "I'm Erza Scarlet. Nice to meet you too," she said shyly with a blush adorning her face._

 _"Aww, isn't she cute," his mother gushed out as she went to hug the little girl. Jealousy surged through him at the display. He could already see that his mother was quite taken with the cherubic looking Erza. "You and Natsu are going to be the best friend," his mother exclaimed much to Natsu's horror._

Natsu smiled sadly when he remembered those old days in the past. Starting from that day, he made it his life mission to make Erza's day a living hell whenever she came over. His mother always invited her to his house to play with him and every time he always bullied her and often sent her home crying to her grandpa. He could still remember how furious his mother and father was with him when they learnt that. He still remembered the lecture he got for making the sweet little Erza cried.

His mother really adored cute little Erza back then. Now that he thought about it, she really was cute with her shoulder length scarlet hair, big brown eyes and chubby puffy cheek. Oh yeah, he always pinched those chubby cheek of hers when they were little, leaving her with teary eyes and sniffles before she went back to her Grandpa Rob. She never complained to her grandpa though. That only made him bullied her more.

He treated her like that for almost a year.

They attended the kindergarten together and he also bullied her there. He always got a scold from the teacher because of his behavior. Other student saw his treatment on Erza and began picking on her too, making her cried her eyes out.

He was furious when he learnt that. No one was allowed to pick on Erza except him and he sent his point across to other students. No one dared to defy him and eventually, everyone ignored the both of them and left them alone. Erza didn't tell his grandpa about this for even if he bullied her, he was still everything she got in that place.

Then one day the accident happened, the accident that cost his mother's life.

 _He had a trip to the museum that day so he got home very late. It was already 6 pm when the bus stopped in front of his house. He was hungry so he couldn't wait to find out what his mom had cooked for the dinner. He exited the bus and headed to his house with springs in his steps but then, he was confused when he saw many people coming in and out of the house wearing black._

 _"_ _Natsu," he heard Erza's voice calling out to him and he glanced back towards her with his brow furrowed. He saw her eyes widened and there was a look of sympathy in her eyes._

 _He ignored her and raced back to his house. He pushed the door opened and looked for his mom and dad. He found his dad sitting in the living room with his head down._

 _"_ _Dad," he called out. His dad looked up to him and Natsu could see the tears in his eyes. His dad got up, went to him and enveloped him in a crushing hug. Natsu was getting nervous. "Dad, what's going on? Where's mom?" He asked._

 _"_ _Natsu, I have something to tell you," his dad said slowly as he scooped Natsu up into his arm. He brought Natsu to the back room. Natsu saw some people in the room and when they saw the two of them, they parted ways so that he and his dad could go through._

 _Natsu's eyes widened when he saw his mother lying in a black casket. Of course, his five year old mind couldn't comprehend what his mother was doing there. "What's mom doing sleeping in there?" He asked innocently._

 _"_ _Natsu, you see mom has gone to a better place. So it's going to be just you and me from now on," his dad said. "This is the last day we get to see mom."_

 _Natsu looked at him on confusion. "What are you talking about dad? Mom is here with us," he said._

 _"_ _She left us Natsu," his dad said brokenly._

 _"_ _What do you mean she left us? She's here, sleeping!" Natsu yelled. He was scared now. His dad was acting strange and his mom was acting strange also. She didn't even stir from his yelling when she didn't like it when he yelled in the house. "Mom!" He called out. "Why doesn't she wake up dad?" He asked his dad. Hearing no answer from his dad, Natsu get down and went to the casket._

 _"_ _Natsu."_

 _"_ _Mom," he called his mother. He shook her hand to wake her up like he always did but she didn't even stir. He felt his mother's hand. It was cold to the touch and dread filled him. "Mom, wake up," he said again urgently._

 _His dad went to him again and got a hold of his shoulder. "Natsu, mom's gone Natsu. She died," his dad whispered with a sad tone._

 _Natsu's eyes widened and his hands shook at those words. Died? Died like Erza's parents? They were no longer with her, so she had to live with her grandpa instead. Was that how it was going to be with him? Was it the reason why Erza looked at him with pity in her eyes earlier? "No!" Natsu yelled. He couldn't live without his mother. "You're lying! Mom is sleeping dad," Natsu yelled, crying as he shook his mom harder. "Please mom wake up. I promise not to bully Erza again and do everything you say," he pleaded. But his mom just laid there in peace no matter how much he pleaded for her to wake up. He bawled his eyes out and it was getting uncontrollable. He could hear people around him whispering about the poor little child._

 _His dad trying to peel him from his mother's side but Natsu tightened his hold on her. "No! Let me go. I want to stay with mom!" He refused to let his mother go, but his dad succeeded in tearing him away. Natsu was kicking and crying for his dad to put down when his dad brought him out of the room. He didn't know what had happen after that for suddenly he was out of the room and there was no whispering and no people in black in his field of vision._

 _"_ _I'm sorry Natsu," he heard his dad said softly to him as he enveloped him in his larger arm. "But you have to be strong now. We both have to."_

 _Natsu didn't notice when his dad left the room. He kept on crying and crying because his mother was gone and he would never see her again._

 _The faint smell of strawberry intruded on his senses and he looked up to see the red haired girl peering at him from behind the door. Her eyes were gleaming with tears as she looked at him with a sad expression. Natsu stopped crying but he couldn't control the sob that escaped his lips. He hated for her to see him cried because he always told her crying made her weak. And she was weak because she was a crybaby._

 _He looked away from her and tried to keep his emotion under control but his tears kept falling down his cheek. He angrily brushed them off with his sleeves but his small body was still wrecked with sob._

 _"_ _Natsu," he heard her whispered softly. He looked at her with anger in his eyes. Did she come here to taunt him? To rub it in his face how weak he was because he cried?_

 _But then, unexpected thing happened._

 _He saw her coming to him and the next thing he knew, he felt her warm body engulfing him in a tight hug. "It's okay to cry Natsu," he heard the whisper of her voice. "It doesn't mean that you're weak. It means how much you love your mom," she said. Natsu felt another fresh batch of tears rolled down his cheek at what she said." It's going to be okay Natsu," she continued saying to him. "It will hurt at first but at least she's in a better place now."_

 _Natsu didn't care for his look anymore. Erza was so understanding and kind to him even though all he did was hurt her. He openly cried in her warm embrace and he found himself returning the gesture as he clung to her for dear life. Both of them cried that day and it was the start of a beautiful friendship for the both of them._

"Natsu!"

Natsu was startled out of his memory when he heard his name being called. He saw Erza was staring at him with worry.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "I've been calling your name for a few times now."

"Sorry. I've been thinking of something," he said lamely.

Then, his eyes noticed the orange haired man standing next to her. His face instantly was drawn to a frown. He glared daggers at Loke but the other man merely raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

 _So he's the dense type huh_ , Natsu mentally said. His mind instantly began to plan numerous threats he could practice on the playboy.

"Goodbye Loke," he heard Erza said to the man in front of him.

Loke smirked handsomely at her and said. "Goodbye beautiful," he bid his goodbye before he walked out of there with a wave.

 _Okay, that guy really gets on my nerve_ , Natsu narrowed his eyes at the retreating figure of the playboy as his mind went crazy plotting the demise of one orange haired high school student.

"Let's go Natsu."

All thought of incarcerating the playboy went out of his head as he felt the smooth skin of her hands on his as she began dragging him towards home. Their hands were clasped together and Natsu felt his cheek warming at the sensation. His heart was beating fast in his chest and he couldn't have happier even if it was just a small gesture from her part.

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To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail does not belong to me.

A/N: Many thanks to **Silent Reader 6100, Layla, Nia, Aravind, ScarletFiona, Guest, Sayla, irahandayani18, fictionlover1993, E.N.D the fire demon, nikkitheprincess, GioM. Meow** and **fizirazak** for reviewing the previous chapter. Thank you also to those who followed and favorited this story. Love you guys.

Sorry in advance for any mistake. This story is unbeta-ed.

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Chapter 2

"Erza, hurry up!"

Erza looked outside her window and saw Natsu looking up at her with an impatient look, complete with his infamous scowl on his face. He was waiting for her to go to school together.

"Crap, Natsu is pissed off at me again," she muttered in panic before she hurriedly back away from the window and grabbed her schoolbag placed on top of her study table. She slung it on her shoulder and dashed towards the door, but not before stopping at the mirror to check on her appearance. "Double crap," she whispered when she saw the state her hair was in. She was such a mess. Ignoring her slightly disheveled hair, she proceeded to step out of her room and down the stairs. She could survive without brushing her hair once. She could always tie it up later on her way to school. But making Natsu more annoyed at her tardiness was a complete no-no. A disgruntled Natsu was hard to deal with. He tended to nag at her when he was dissatisfied with her, be it for being tardy or being such a total klutz sometimes.

Even though Natsu always reprimanded her and acting like a meany sometimes, she knew that he really cared for her. It was just his way to show that he cared and he always wanted the best for her. Erza on her part cared for him too and she didn't like it when he was mad at her. He was her best friend.

"Erza," she heard her Grandpa calling for her from the kitchen. "I know you're late, so take this toast with you," the elderly man said as he handed two pieces of toast to his one and only granddaughter. "Give one to Natsu."

"Thanks, Grandpa Rob," Erza said kissing his cheek before she walked away. "I'll see you later okay," she yelled as she ran out the door and stopped in front of Natsu with a huff.

It was only morning and she was already this breathless. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized trying to catch her breath. Her pink haired best friend rolled his eyes at her before he snatched a toast from her hand and walked away.

"Hey," she cried indignantly. "That's mine," she said as she followed his step.

Natsu smirked as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Grandpa Rob told you to give me one," he easily countered.

"You heard that?" She asked with surprise. Natsu always had a good hearing but to hear the conversation that took place at the kitchen when he was outside of the house sure was something.

"Of course, being the amazing man that I am, I heard it," he said with a mock air of superiority.

"Tch," Erza scoffed at him. "Whatever floats your boat Natsu," she said with a small giggle. Whatever floats his boat indeed. Let him have his fun, at least he won't bring out the fact that she woke up late again.

"And you missy," he suddenly said looking at her with a displeased stare. "Why are you late again?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Erza's hope was crushed when Natsu questioned her. Nothing escaped Natsu's attention. "I forgot to turn on the alarm clock," she said dejectedly, looking at the ground as she walked beside him to the school.

"Again?" Came the incredulous tone of her best friend.

Erza looked up to stare at him accusingly. "And whose fault is that?" She said with a pout. "You're the one suggesting a late night movie last night and making me forget about turning on the alarm."

Natsu looked a bit sheepish at that as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Alright, I'll let it slide this time. I'm the one to blame as well," he surrendered. "By the way, you slept halfway through the movie. I have to take you upstairs and tuck you in."

Erza's face reddened at that. Having someone picking her up and tucked her in when she was already 17 sure was embarrassing. But she was touched that Natsu thought of her well being and made sure that she was comfortable and warm when she fell asleep last night. He was a caring man. His future girlfriend sure was a lucky girl.

"You're heavy you know," he added.

Erza looked at him in horror before she glared at him in anger.

Natsu suddenly broke out in laughter and she was fuming in anger at the pink head. He was making fun of her. Cross that about her thinking that his future girlfriend being lucky. Whoever she was, she would definitely suffer for getting together with the insensitive blunt brat. "Jerk," she hissed before she walked ahead of him ignoring the howling laughter from behind her.

"Oh come on."

Erza ignored the laughing man and briskly made her way forward.

"Erza wait up," he called out. "Hey Erza. I'm just joking," he said but Erza didn't slow down her walk. Let him knew that she was not letting him off the hook this time. He always got away when he made fun of her since they were kids, but Erza won't forgive him easily this time. She was not going to fall for his sweet words and puppy dog eyes again. She would harden her resolve to teach him a lesson to not mess with her.

Suddenly she felt his hands tugging on her wrist, successfully halting her steps. Pink hair filled her view and she stared at the one holding her hand. "Seriously I was joking," he said with a small smile. "Heavy or not, I will gladly pick you up for the rest of your life if you let me. We're best friends. We always take care of each other remember."

Erza mentally sighed. Natsu always knew what to say to diffuse her anger away. She could already feel her resolve began to crumble. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was looking at her with that earnest and innocent face. "Idiot," Erza whispered softly, pouting slightly at him.

Natsu chuckled at her. "Stop acting so cute, we're going to be late for school," he told her. His hand slipped in hers and he clutched at it tightly. Erza stared at their intertwined hand. Sometimes she wondered if this was normal interaction between best friends. Natsu and her were always close since they were children and skin ship was an everyday occurrence in their life. She certainly didn't mind it. Natsu made her feel warm and safe and most importantly, Natsu made her feel loved. What happened when he finally found himself a girlfriend? Would it change the dynamic of their relationship? Would he still treat her the same way? Would he still be her rock, her shoulder to cry on? These thought had been swarming inside her mind lately.

She hoped Natsu would always stay the same. If he was going to change when he found someone else to occupy his time with, then maybe it was better if he didn't have one. She knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't bear the thought of Natsu being out of her life.

"Erza."

She was startled out of her reverie at the sound of her name. She looked at Natsu who was sporting a worried look. "What?" She asked dumbly.

"I asked you if you're okay. You were suddenly spacing out with that faraway look on your face. What's wrong?"

Erza quickly smiled to alleviate his suspicions. "Nothing," she said cheerily. "At this pace, we're going to be late Natsu, let's go," she said in urgency as she began to drag him.

"Crap," Natsu commented, remembering that they were initially already late to school to begin with. And then, the two of them took off running towards the direction of the school with their hands still joined together.

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Erza looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was flushed and she was panting slightly from the run to school. It was five minute before the class started. Natsu had gone to the classroom first while she went to the bathroom to fix her messy hair.

"I look a demon from hell," Erza muttered looking at her appearance. She gathered her thick red hair together and tied them up into a simple ponytail with a clear rubber band. After she was satisfied with her look, Erza exited the bathroom.

It was quiet in the hallway. No one was there. Thinking that she was already late, Erza broke into a run to get to her classroom. However, just as she was nearing a corner, someone chose that moment to emerge from it.

"Look out," she shrieked to alert the male student turning around the corner. And because she was running, Erza couldn't stop in time to prevent herself from crashing into him. She closed her eyes as she collided into him and they both stumbled to the ground. She fell on top of him as he pillowed her fall with his body.

The groan coming from the man underneath caught her attention and Erza opened her eyes to look at her victim and savior at the same time. The first thing she noticed about the man was his vibrant blue hair and the red tattoo on his eye-catching face. Weird, was that even allowed in school?

"I know I'm attractive and all, but would you mind getting off me."

Erza yelped as she noticed her mistake. She hastily detached herself from him and bowed down with apology. "I'm really sorry," she apologized. "It was my mistake. I'm sorry."

The man rose and dusted the imaginary dirt on his school uniform. "You shouldn't be running in the hallway in the first place," he said as he gazed at her stoically.

Erza fought the urge to squirm under his cold stare. However she lowered her gaze in guilt as she was indeed the guilty party here. That was when Erza noticed the name tag on his left breast and she froze when she saw the name.

 ** _Jellal Fernandes_**

 ** _Student Council President_**

Erza froze on her spot. _I'm screwed!_ She thought in silence. Even though she never personally met the school's student council president, that didn't mean she never heard about the man. Hell, she should have recognized him from the blue hair and red tattoo. It was the distinctive features about him, much like her scarlet hair to hers. From what she heard, Jellal Fernandes was cold and unapproachable, a strict person who always upholds the school rules. He didn't tolerate rule breaker and always giving punishment to the one who broke them.

Erza mentally cried. There was no way he was going to let this slide, and she was officially late to the class. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again," she said softly, close to tears.

She heard the sigh coming from the man. "Student council room, after school. Don't be late for your punishment," he suddenly said.

Erza looked up in shock. There went her plan to hang out with Natsu and the rest of the gang after school. Not that the student council president knew it but who was she to complain. "Okay," she nodded in agreement. Better not to argue for she could be given harsher punishment.

"I'll be giving the details of your punishment later," he explained. "Now, you better hurry to class, it's already late," he said.

"Yes," Erza nodded meekly. "I'm sorry again," she said before she turned away from him in the direction of her class.

"And no running," he added.

Erza turned to him with an awkward smile before she nodded and walked away from there with a heavy heart.

.

.

"Are you sure you're not going to join us Erza?" Lucy asked the red head.

Erza sighed heavily. "It's not like I don't want to join you guys to the mall. But the student council president gives me detention for running in the hallway and crashing into him," she said before her face reddened. "That was so embarrassing," she moaned when she remembered the event from this morning.

Lucy giggled at that making Erza pouted at her friend.

"Just skip the detention," Natsu suddenly said, looking at her with a frown.

"I can't," she shook her head. "He's the president Natsu, I could get into more trouble for not going to the detention. And it's my fault anyway," she said.

"So does this mean you're also not going Natsu?" Gray interjected looking at the pink head.

"No," he replied. "I'll just wait for Erza to finish detention and head home with her afterward."

Erza looked at her best friend in disapproval. "You don't have to wait up for me Natsu, just go hang out with them," she told him.

"Don't worry about it," he brushed it off.

Erza wanted to argue more but Gray spoke up instead. "Maybe we can just hang out tomorrow," Gray suggested.

"I'm cool with that," Lucy agreed.

"So it's settled then, Gray said before he picked up his bag and slung it casually on his shoulder. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. And Erza don't go and get yourself a detention tomorrow as well," he said cheekily while Erza pouted at him.

Erza saw Lucy turned to her excitedly. "Erza, I heard that the president is hot. Is that true?" She asked her enthusiastically.

Erza thought back on the time that she met the man. "I guess," she answered not noticing the frown on Natsu's face getting deeper when she said that. "He's scary though," she quickly added, remembering the cold aura he seemed to exude.

"I heard about that too," Lucy nodded. "From what I heard, he seems to be a cold and unapproachable man. Some girls said that they confessed to him but he sent them crying when he insensitively turned them down. But that doesn't stop the girls from crushing on him though."

Erza sighed. "I don't know about that. But you're welcome to trade places with me anytime you want Lucy," she said seriously making Lucy gave out a nervous laugh.

"I think I'll pass," she quickly turned it down.

Erza just shrugged miserably. "I guess I'll get going first. Don't want to be late for my detention."

"I'll wait for you here," Natsu informed her. Erza knew better than to argue with Natsu once he made his decision. So she just nodded at him before she walked out of the classroom towards the council room, hoping that the president was not in a foul mood.

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Erza stood in front of the student council room, fidgeting on her feet as she stared at the door, contemplating whether or not she should get in there. Natsu's suggestion to skip detention sounds so tempting right now when she noticed how quiet and eerie this part of the building was. It was a little dark here in the hallway and the lights keep flickering in and out making the area seemed like it was a set up from horror movie.

Erza knocked on the door three times to announce her arrival but she heard no response from the inside. If the hallway was already this creepy, she wondered how the inside of the council was like. It must be worse, she thought silently as her mind wandered to think worse of the situation. Braving herself to face the circumstances she found herself in so that she could do her detention and leave, Erza turned the knob and pushed the door opened, peeking her head in.

Her heart sank when she noticed that the room was dark and there was no sign of Jellal Fernandes anywhere. "This is scary," she whimpered slowly, closed to tears. "Where is the president by the way? Did he forget that he asked me to be here?" She whined. She had no guts to get inside alone. She should have asked Natsu to accompany her here. He had nothing better to do anyway.

"Are you going in or not?"

"Eeeeep," Erza shrieked as she was startled at the sudden voice behind her. With an undignified pose, she fell face first to the floor in her haste to get away from the cold gruff voice. "Ouch," Erza whined as she slowly sat up and rubbed her sore forehead. She turned her head an looked up behind her to see the one and only Jellal Fernandes standing there looking at her with a raised eyebrow, clearly unimpressed at her clumsy conduct. "Do you have to startle me like that?" She complained, annoyed at the blue head.

"Are you always such a klutz?" He asked instead of apologizing to her.

Erza fumed when she heard that. She was not always such a klutz as he put it. He was the one who surprised her and he dared to ridicule her like that. She wanted to vent her frustration at the cold president but he was too scary with his sharp eyes glaring at her like a hawk. Most importantly, he might give her trouble later on. So for today, she was just going to take it all in and hopefully, she was not going to see him anymore after this. She cursed herself for her inability to speak up her mind and defended herself. That was the downside of having an overprotective best friend like Natsu. He tended to stick up for her whenever she was in trouble and never let her solved the problem herself. She unknowingly had become dependent on Natsu so much. Even Gray and Lucy won't let herself get into trouble. They always treated her like she was an innocent and fragile little girl.

"I'm not a klutz," she whispered slowly, darting her eyes to the ground, feeling pressured under his intense stare.

She heard the slow exhale of breath coming from the president before he spoke up once again. "Are you planning to sit on the floor all the time? Because I'd like to get started on your punishment so that both you and I can go home."

Erza gasped before she hurriedly got up from the floor with an apology. "I'm sorry president," she apologized as she stood in front him with an embarrass face.

.

.

Jellal didn't know what to make of the girl currently with him, helping him assorted the files in the drawer. At first when she crashed into him this morning, he expected her to be one of the fan girls who seemed to be following him lately. It was not the first time a girl bumped into him just to have a conversation. It was really annoying. But he thought that was not the case with this girl. She didn't initiate any conversation and only spoke when it was necessary. The girl looked like she was not interested in him at all. In fact, she looked like she was wary of him. She seemed eager to get the job done so that she could get the hell out of council room, to be far away from him. Aside from the clumsy demeanor, he was glad that she was not the talkative type who felt the need to fill the silence, for he appreciated the peace that came with it.

It seemed like he was wrong about her and he felt a little bad for being callous towards her earlier.

They were so absorbed in their task that they didn't notice that 2 hours had already flown away since they started.

Jellal looked over at the girl to see her holding a blue file as she sported a confused look on her face.

"That one goes to the last drawer actually," he quickly supplied as he closed his own drawer, having placed the last file from his batch inside of it.

"Oh, sorry president," she said as if realizing her mistake. She smiled sheepishly as she kept the file where it was supposed to be.

"You apologize too much," he commented. She probably was scarred to life from having to deal with an insensitive jerk like him and he felt like he owed it to her to ease her mind a bit around him.

The girl laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head in an awkward gesture. "Sorry," she couldn't help but said, making Jellal shook his head in amusement. "Is there anything else you need my help with president?"

"Jellal."

The girl raised an elegant eyebrow. "Sorry?" She inquired.

"It's Jellal, not president," he said. "You can call me Jellal," he added. He didn't know what made him asked her the next question since he never made any effort to get to know anyone else aside from his little group of friend in the school. "What's your name?" He inquired. He almost berated himself for asking because he was sure that the girl didn't have even a shred of positive thought about him.

But then, her face lit up in excitement and he thought she looked so much better with a smile on her face. "It's Erza. Erza Scarlet."

A small smile played on his lips. "The color of your hair," he unconsciously uttered. How befitting of her.

"Huh? Did you say something?" She asked with a confused expression.

Jellal shook his head. "Nothing," he denied. "It's already late Erza. You can go now and thank you for today."

Erza nodded. "You're welcome," she replied. "Then I'll be going first. See you again, Jellal," she said with a beaming smile before she gave him a wave and exited the room through the door.

Jellal smiled as he shook his head slowly. "Erza Scarlet," he uttered. "She sure is not like any other girl," he whispered slowly as he picked up his bag pack and get ready to go home for the day.

* * *

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail does not belong to me.

A/N: Many thanks to **Aravind, Layla, irahandayani18 and Lalala** for reviewing the previous chapter. Thank you also to those who followed and favorited this story. Love you guys.

Sorry in advance for any mistake. This story is unbeta-ed after all.

* * *

CHAPTER 3

"You've got it all wrong Natsu," Erza spoke out as she checked her best friend's homework.

"Which part that I got it wrong?" Natsu asked as he leaned closer towards Erza to see the mistake he made in his mathematics homework.

Erza looked at him with a cheeky grin. "About all of it," she said.

"What?" Natsu blurted out in horror. Sure she was superior compared to him in mathematics but he was not bad at all at the subject. Erza was just a bit better at it. "No way," he exclaimed. Getting it completely wrong was a blow to his ego.

"Yes way," Erza easily countered. "You've been using the wrong equation from the start, that's why you get different final answer for this question," Erza told him his mistake. She then proceeded to explain which equation was to be used for that particular question and Natsu listened carefully to her reason. Having Erza as his study partner sure was handy.

"I see," Natsu uttered after Erza's lengthy explanation. "Then, let me correct this first and then we can go fix some dinner," he said as he opened a new page in his book and began to do the calculation from the start.

"Okay," Erza said as she stepped away from the table and plopped down on Natsu's bed lying on it as she humming to random song playing on her mind. She already finished with her homework so she had some free time to kill. "Natsu," she suddenly said, turning her head in his direction as she laid her head comfortably on his pillow.

Natsu glanced at her briefly before he proceeded with his unfinished work. "What?"

"What's kissing feels like?" She asked innocently.

His hand automatically stopped scratching on the paper and Natsu trained his gaze towards the scarlet haired girl lying on his bed. Their eyes met and Natsu could see the curiosity playing on her face. "Why on earth are you asking me that?" He asked with a full scowl on his face. His mind was buzzing with questions on the reason why she was asking such a random yet disturbing question. "Are you secretly seeing a boy behind my back?" He asked somewhat accusingly. He stared expectantly hard at her waiting for answer, his homework forgotten and pushed to the back of his mind.

"What are you talking about?" Erza countered with a cute frown on her face. "The only boy I'm seeing is you. No one is interested in me," she said with a sigh as she averted her gaze and stared at the ceiling. Was that disappointment he detected in her voice? "Well, it is expected since I'm not beautiful," she continued.

That sentence made Natsu's eyes widened in shock. What did she mean that she was not beautiful? _You are the most beautiful girl in the world Erza_ , Natsu screamed desperately in his mind.

"I thought some guys were interested in me before you know," she said as her eyes were back to look at him with a grim face. "They acted all friendly and sweet at first and the next day, they did a 360. I just don't understand it. Is there something wrong with me?" She asked him sadly. Her face was full of hope as she waited for his answer.

 _They act like that because I threaten them to stay away from you_ , he thought silently. If only he could say it out loud to her. But he was too much of a coward to let his feeling show. He was afraid that he would be rejected by the love of his life. He couldn't take it if Erza somehow begin to distance herself from him once she rejected his love. The mere idea of that actually happening made him kept his mouth shut about his real feeling towards his best friend.

"You're wrong," he said seriously.

"Huh?" Confusion was clear on her face.

"If the guys act like that than they are not worthy for you," he said passionately. "And to me, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on. You just never notice how beautiful you really are."

He could see that Erza was shocked to hear the outburst coming from his lips. A blush prettily adorned her cheeks when she heard the compliment from him. He knew she was getting embarrassed by that.

Then, Erza pouted and turned her gaze away from him. "You're my best friend, you'll tell me anything I want to hear. So that is not accounted for," she said stubbornly.

"You're being unreasonable," Natsu countered heatedly. "I'm only telling the truth." Now he was the one feeling embarrassed by his own words. "You're trying to evade the subject. Why do you suddenly ask about kissing? Is there someone you want to secretly kiss?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. He needed the name so that he could go and beat the guy later.

"Idiot," Erza exclaimed. Her cheeks were getting darker as she spoke. "It's nothing like that."

"Then pray tell what it is all about," Natsu prodded, crossing his arms together against his chest while his foot was tapping repeatedly against the floor, waiting for her answer.

Erza sulked and gave in to his demand. "The girls are talking about it the other day. Apparently, I'm the only who's never been kissed," she said slowly, turning on her stomach and buried her face in his fluffy pillow.

Natsu was glad to hear that. Apparently she was not seeing anyone secretly behind his back and no one dared to lay a finger on her either. He congratulated himself on a job well done. But still, something didn't sit right with him. "So you make a fuss just because you've never been kissed?" Natsu asked incredulously. Did she want a boyfriend that bad?

"I'm not making a fuss," she defended herself. "I merely wonder how it feels like. Some girls say that it is mind blowing. Some girls even do other things like making out with their boyfriend you know," she stated, oblivious to the way Natsu's mood seemed to darken when he heard what was bugging her. He wondered which girls put these kinds of issue in Erza's mind. "I never experience any of those," he heard Erza whispered softly.

Natsu stared at Erza who had a faraway look on her face. He knew that she didn't mean to speak the last sentence out loud. He narrowed his eyes at her. Truth to be told, she would easily find herself a boyfriend if it was not for him. He kept sending potential suitors away with his threat because he couldn't stand to see Erza with anyone else but him.

"If you want to be kissed that badly, then let's kiss right now," he said seriously, looking at her dead in the eye with a scowl on his face. He must have lost his mind. Why did he utter such a thing? He was not thinking clearly when he said that. The only thing clouding his mind back then was the image of Erza kissing other man beside him and he couldn't accept that.

Erza looked taken aback by his outburst. They stared at each other as she openly gaped at him.

 _She must have thought that I'm crazy. She must think that I'm weird and a psycho_ , Natsu fretted silently. Was this how their friendship was going to end? He regretted not keeping his jealousy in check and saying something that could jeopardize their relationship.

Then, Erza did the unexpected as she burst out laughing on his bed clutching her stomach as tears pricked her eyes. Natsu stared dumbfounded at the laughing girl who was rolling on his bed trying to contain her glee. She tried to control herself but didn't succeed as her full scale laughter burst out again once she set her eyes on his.

He didn't know what was so funny to the red headed girl. "Erza," he spoke her name in annoyance. It felt like she was making fun of him with her uncontrollable and continuous laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said in between her breath. She ceased her laughter but her face still retained the gleeful expression. "It's just too funny," she said with giggles. "You look so serious when you suggest us kissing," she told him with a pointed look.

"It doesn't seem funny to me," Natsu quipped, a little upset that she didn't take it seriously but he hide his emotion well this time. Did she think he was kidding when he said that? She really was dense for someone so smart.

"Trust me it is," Erza stressed out as she was getting up from the bed and headed to where he was sitting before she looked at his work. "Hurry up and finish it, I'm hungry," Erza whined.

"Go find something to eat first if you're that hungry," Natsu told her. "I'll be done in a few minutes," he said as he gets back to his work.

"Fine," Erza grumbled, making her way to the door. Once she was outside behind the closed door, Erza put a hand on her chest to feel her heart beating furiously against her ribcage. She was almost getting into panic mode when Natsu boldly suggested them kissing. She really thought he was being serious and for a moment, she wondered what it felt like to be kissed by Natsu. But then, she remembered that Natsu was her best friend, there was no way he was being serious about it.

 _It just can't be. Right?_ She mused silently.

Getting no answer to her silent question, she made her way to the kitchen downstairs, pushing the thought of it to the back of her mind.

.

.

The days passed by like any ordinary day for Erza. As usual, she walked to school with Natsu, met her friends and chatted with them before class, listening to the teachers like the good student she was when class started and had lunch together at the rooftops with the usual bunch. It was almost like a routine, one that she was used to by now.

They sat in a circle at the rooftop with their own lunches. Erza as usual sat next to Natsu on her right and Gray on her left. Beside Natsu was Lucy followed by Levy and Gajeel while Juvia was situated between Gray and Gajeel.

"I heard there's a new arcade opened in town. Do you guys want to go check the place out some day?" Gray asked to no one in particular before he took a large bite out of his sandwich which was not surprisingly made by Juvia, Gray's self proclaimed number 1 fan and current girlfriend. It was a surprise to see them hooking up because Gray once told them there was no way he would date the obsessed girl. Look where they were now, together and happy being a couple.

"I'm in," Gajeel said. "Just informed me the date and time."

"Me too," Natsu retorted nonchalantly.

Even Erza was tempted at the idea of a day out with her friends. It had been so long since they had a chance to hang out and had a good time together. "It's better if we go there on weekend, she suggested. "More time to play and hang out that way."

"I agree," Lucy voted enthusiastically.

"I heard the place is fabulous. Count me in," Levy said.

"Gihi… I know you can't leave my side," Gajeel quipped with a big grin.

Levy blushed at the remarked and playfully hit his arm. "Shut up!" She retorted back. "I want to go because I am curious. It has nothing to do with you."

Erza just smiled at her friends banter. Things like this were an everyday's occurrence but she would never get bored seeing how her friends interacted with each other. It was fun to her.

"Hey did you hear about the latest rumor in our school?" Lucy suddenly interjected, ignoring the playful banter between Gajeel and Levy.

All attention was on Lucy in a heartbeat. Everyone was interested in what rumor Lucy was talking about. It had to be interesting if it caught on Lucy's radar. Lucy always brought the latest and remarkable news to the group. Very little occurrence escaped her attention around the school thanks to her nosy attitude.

"What kind of juicy gossips you bring this time?" Levy asked with excitement.

Lucy chuckled with mischief. "I heard that there is a haunted room in this school," she stated with an eerie voice, creating an air of mystery among them. All of them stared at her attentively, getting more curious with the simple revelation.

Erza could feel the hair on the back of her neck rose in anticipation. She never heard about a haunted room since she stepped foot in this school, so it was quite a shocker to hear that. "Where is the haunted room located?" She found herself asking. She was getting strangely giddy to learn more about this. She never went to a haunted place before, so she was a bit excited when it was so close to where she was and accessible since it was on the school ground.

"It was at the older building at the back of the school. The room is in between the equipment room for the football club and the drama club," Lucy answered as they were all huddling closer to her. "Some athletes in the football club say that they hear weird noises coming from the room. They thought someone is playing a prank inside so they go to the faculty to borrow the key to investigate inside the room. The key keeper tells them that there's no point in using the key because the lock and door knob is broken, so the door can't be opened for the time being. They are currently waiting for someone to come and replace the entire thing. So there is no way someone can go inside the room," Lucy told them. She took a deep breath before she proceeded. "They all think that there's ghost in there."

They all went quiet at the revelation. The silence stretched for some time as no one said anything.

"Bullshit!" Natsu exclaimed suddenly startling the others. He was not convinced at all that the room was haunted. "There's no ghost in that room. The noises can be anything. Maybe those jocks took too much hit in the head and started to hallucinate about the whole thing," he stated sarcastically.

"They're not the only who hear it Natsu," Lucy yelled indignantly at him. " It was not every day it happens but the girls from the drama club also said that there are noises coming from that room occasionally. Sometimes they hear things being moved and someone sighing and growling from the inside. They even see the lights flickering coming from the room as they see it through the small gap under the door."

Natsu only scowled at Lucy's story. Erza could see that Natsu was skeptical about this and he was not going to believe it without any solid evidence that it was indeed haunted. He was stubborn like that.

"There's definitely something happening but I'm not 100% convinced that there's a ghost haunting the room," Gray piped in.

"I don't know, it sure sounds like a work of one," Juvia uttered with a scared look on her face.

"I agree," Levy agreed with the blue head girl.

"Gihi… I wonder if I can fight a ghost," Gajeel muttered, not caring if the ghost in question truly existed or not. All he thought about was fighting, as expected from the captain of the boxing club. He always was looking for challenge.

They were getting mixed reaction on the matter. For Erza, it doesn't matter if this ghost existed or not because it was not going to interfere with their life. But it sure was exciting to hear about this for she was a sucker for horror story, even when she was actually a scaredy cat. "Why don't we wait and hear for more rumors regarding the haunted room. It's not going to be long before someone chooses to go investigate more about the room and then we'll know what actually happen," Erza said with a smile.

Everyone was looking at her with a strange glint in their eyes and Erza wondered if she said something wrong. "Lunch time is almost over, so why don't we head back to class now," Erza suggested with an awkward smile on her face. _Everyone can be so weird sometime,_ she silently thought in her head.

.

.

Erza split up with her friends after their lunch to go to the bathroom before the next period started. Exiting the stall, she looked around for any strangeness inside the bathroom and released a sigh of relief when she saw none. Lucy's story regarding the haunted room still played inside her mind. Really, as much as she didn't care much about it, it still managed to get to her head. After washing her hand, she hastily went to the door to exit the bathroom for it was getting quiet in there with no one around. It felt creepy being alone in the bathroom after hearing about a ghost story.

Just as she stepped outside of the door, she bumped into someone in her haste to get out of there. "I'm sorry," she quickly apologized.

"It's okay," came the feminine voice. Erza looked around her to see three girls from different class standing in front of her. She recognized them but she didn't know their names.

"Eh, aren't you Erza Scarlet?" One of them asked.

Erza blinked at the girl asking her name. She was a beautiful girl with long flowing dark brown hair and grey eyes. "Yes," Erza answered truthfully. She wondered if the girl wanted something from her.

"Tell me something Erza Scarlet," the girl started. "Are you and Natsu Dragneel an item?" She asked.

"What?" Erza blurted out. She was taken aback by the girl's bold question. It caught her off guard. Why the sudden inquiry on her and Natsu's status. Was there something going on without her knowing? Was there some weird rumors spread around her and Natsu that she didn't know about? If that was so, why wouldn't Lucy let her know? Lucy knew everything going around the school.

"Are you and Natsu a couple?" The girl reiterated her question demanding an answer from her.

It was a simple question but Erza was feeling pressured by it. "No," she denied. "He is my best friend," she replied honestly.

The girl raised an elegant eyebrow. "You're acting too close for best friends, don't you think?" She kept asking, surprisingly with a scathing tone. Her arms were folded on her chest in a defensive manner and she looked like she wanted to eat Erza alive from the furious look on her face. Erza couldn't figure out why the girl looked so mad at her. She was sure that she didn't do anything to hurt the brunette.

"Oi Yuri," one of her friends said somewhat in reprimanding tone. "That's enough. It's not right to get mad at her. She doesn't do anything at all."

The girl named Yuri ignored her friend and closing in on Erza. "If you're not his girlfriend then stop hogging him to yourself. You have no right to do that," she said. "He needs to interact and spend times with other girls for him to choose what's good for him."

Erza took a step back at the girl's outburst. She was too speechless to make any remark. Was that how everyone saw it? Was it true that she somehow was holding him back while she clung to him? Was it her fault?

"What's going on here?" Came the sudden interruption, hence breaking Erza's train of thought.

Erza was glad for whoever it was that unintentionally saving her from the unbearable scrutiny of the girls. She glanced to her right to see the familiar blue head with red tattooed face standing not too far from where they were standing in front of the bathroom. "Jellal," his name escaped her lips in a whisper and she saw him walking towards them with an impassive face.

Yuri and her two friends tensed at the sudden appearance of the student council president, and they were especially shocked to hear Erza uttering his name casually. They never thought that these two were acquainted with each other.

"What are you doing here in the hallway?" He questioned all of them. "Class starts five minutes ago," he informed with a brusque tone.

"We're sorry, president. We lost track of time. We'll be heading to class now," Yuri said before she and her two friends did what everyone would do when they spotted Jellal Fernandes. They walked away from there before he could stop them and give them a detention for not being in class.

Erza was a little nervous when he turned his attention on her. She so didn't want to get another detention from him. "Then, I'll be going too," Erza stuttered before she turned away from him.

"Erza," he suddenly called, stopping her in her track. Erza was surprised that he remembered her name. They only spent a little time together a few days ago during her detention, so she expected him to forget about her.

Erza turned to him. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Her eyes widened slightly at the unsuspected question from the seemingly cold man. "Yes. I'm fine, she answered," a little flustered seeing his intense gaze on her.

 _If you're fine, then why do you look close to tears?_ He thought silently.

Really, that girl should learn how to defend herself. He had been standing around the corner when he saw the four of them in the hallway. Curiosity made him not to make his presence known because he wanted to know what was going on. So he heard about the whole thing.

"Thank you though," she said shyly after some time with a small smile on her face.

Jellal looked at her questioningly. "For what?"

Erza shrugged, not really wanting to divulge him in the reason. Thank you for saving her from the uncomfortable situation and thank you for asking how she was. It was the little thing he did that she appreciated so much. "I better get back to class now," she said when she remembered that she was late. "It's nice to see you again Jellal and thank you again," she said as she waved him goodbye and hurriedly walking away from him to the direction of her class.

Jellal stared at her figure until she disappeared around the corner before he too began to walk towards his own class with the thought of Erza Scarlet on his mind.

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To be continued


End file.
